Hensler Surgical Technologies on Wednesday officially launched an Orthopedic Edition of its Hensler Bone Press, allowing the company to further expand in the orthopedic market, Sean Hensler, company CEO and founder said.

The Wilmington-based company has submitted patents on two applications used in the bone press, according to a news release.

The orthopedic bone press allows surgeons to collect cancellous bone and bone marrow, which can be used in fusion procedures of the spine, Hensler said.

Cancellous bone is a type of bone tissue found at the end of long bones.

"We are excited to add these applications for our device beyond the widely successful spinal cases, now exceeding 20,000 cases since launching in 2012. It was a logical next step, understanding the potential yields of autograft for these sites,” Hensler said in the release. “The device's 2 new patent-pending techniques adds increased benefit for the patient using local bone and marrow, with little to no new impact to their already planned procedure. I am very proud and humbled the Hensler Bone Press (HBP) is growing in additional surgical disciplines to help the patient and the system in these types of cases.”

The device allows patients to use their own bone and bone marrow instead of using synthetic mediums.

The orthopedic bone press is able to collect 20 cubic centimeters of bone and bone marrow, which translates to an estimated $20,000 in savings for the patient, he said.

The instrument was developed through a partnership with Peter Highlander, an Ohio-based foot and ankle surgeon, which is why the procedure done by the Hensler Bone Press is known as the Highlander technique.

While there haven’t been official deals yet, Hensler Surgical Technologies (HST) has been approached by companies interested in the new device, Hensler said.

HST was founded in 2011 and developed its original cranial and spinal bone press in 2012, 20,000 of which have been sold globally since. The company has also developed the Hensler Bone Collector and other surgical devices.

Hensler is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who got the idea to develop a bone press after looking at a French coffee press at a coffee shop. The company was a 2019 Coastal Entrepreneurship Award winner in the healthcare category.

“We’ve been working for a year now on the device,” Hensler said. “We have probably had upwards of 40 cases or so that have been widely successful. We have six months of data on patients, and the fusion is rock solid. It’s an exciting next step to further move into the orthopedic space.”